COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 13, 2011) – As the FIVB Women’s World Cup moves into the fourth and final round in Tokyo, the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team is one of a handful of teams still in the running for three 2012 Olympic Games berths that will be awarded at the event’s conclusion on Nov. 18.

The U.S. has now earned 21 World Cup standings points and remains in second place behind undefeated and defending 2007 World Cup champion Italy (8-0, 23 points). The FIVB World Cup uses a round-robin format resulting in 11 matches over a 15-day period. The three teams reaching the World Cup medal podium on Nov. 18 will earn berths into the 2012 Olympic Games. For the full FIVB World Cup schedule and tournament details, visit the U.S. Women’s tournament event page at usavolleyball.org/events/8883.

The U.S., which has won the bronze medal at the last two FIVB World Cup events held in 2003 and 2007, will face China on Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Pacific Time on Nov. 15), Italy on Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Pacific Time on Nov. 16) and host Japan on Nov. 18 at 6:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. Pacific Time). Team USA is looking for its first gold or silver medal at the FIVB World Cup in their ninth appearance.

Tokyo’s Yoyogi National Stadium will be filled with excitement as five of the six teams playing at the venue represent the top five teams heading into the fourth round. Italy has matches against fourth-place Germany (6-2, 18 points), USA and last-place Kenya, while the Americans will face third-place China (6-2, 19 points), Italy and fifth-place Japan (5-3, 16 points). In addition to its match against the Americans, China will face Kenya and Germany. Japan has matches against Kenya, Germany and USA.

Brazil (5-3, 12 points), the only other team above .500 in the World Cup, still has an outside shot of reaching the medal stand and Olympic Games berth despite being in sixth place and seven points out of third place. The South Americans will face continental rival Argentina (3-5, 9 points), Algeria (1-7, 3 points) and Dominican Republic (3-5, 8 points) in the fourth round at Site B’s Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The U.S. (37-9 in 2011) started the FIVB World Cup with a four-set win over Brazil, followed by sweeps over No. 5 Serbia, Korea and Kenya. The Americans were stunned with a three-set loss to Germany to end the third round. The U.S. bounced back with sweeps over Argentina, Algeria and Dominican Republic during the third round.

Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) ranks sixth in scoring with 115 points (97 kills, 10 blocks, 8 aces), despite playing in just seven of the eight matches to date. She also ranks second in Best Spiker with a 52.2 kill percent, just behind tournament leader Junjing Yang’s (China) 54.0 kill percent. Further, Hooker averages 0.32 aces per set for eighth-best among all players.

Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Fla.) averages 0.92 blocks per set for the U.S. in ranking second in Best Blocker behind Italy’s Simona Gioli’s 0.96 block average. Overall, Akinradewo has scored 73 points (47 kills, 23 blocks, 7 aces) for 27th among all players and second on the balanced American squad.

Lindsey Berg (Honolulu) has averaged 8.52 assists per set for fifth place. Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) ranks sixth in Best Receiver with a 54.9 efficiency percent and has converted 39.4 percent of her attacks for 12th place. Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) is one spot behind with a 39.2 kill percent. Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) has averaged 0.56 blocks per set for 11th place. Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) ranks seventh in Best Digger with 2.76 digs per set.

As a team, the U.S. has the best kill percent among the 12 World Cup teams with a 48.64 percent (359-738) leading to a .405 hitting efficiency. Germany ranks second in the category with 45.4 percent, followed by Italy at 44.7 percent and China at 43.7 percent.

Team USA ranks second in blocking with 3.40 blocks per set, just 0.04 blocks per set behind Italy. Likewise, the Americans are second in Best Server with 1.56 aces per set as Germany leads the pack at 1.79 aces per set. The U.S. ranks 11th in digging as a team with 8.12 per set.

The U.S. is 1-2 against China this year with both losses coming at the Montreux Volley Masters. However, the Americans won a three-set match over the Chinese during the FIVB World Grand Prix first preliminary round weekend in China. The U.S. has won six of the last eight meetings with China since 2008. China’s two losses at the 2011 FIVB World Cup were to Italy in four sets and Brazil in five sets.

Team USA has won four of the last five meetings with Italy, including two victories during this year’s FIVB World Grand Prix. The Italians needed one of the two wild-card entries into the FIVB World Cup, and has made the decision look great with an undefeated record. Italy has already defeated Japan, China, Brazil and Serbia at the current World Cup.

Japan is the United States’ most frequent opponent with 210 matches in the series since 1983. Team USA has won eight of the last nine meetings with Japan, including two during the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix. Japan’s only victory in the last nine matches came during the 2010 FIVB World Championship bronze medal match in Japan. The host Japanese opened the World Cup with a 1-2 record with losses to Italy and China, but enters the fourth round on a high note with a win over top-ranked Brazil in straight sets.

Additional information on the U.S. Women’s National Team can be found in its FIVB World Cup press kit by visiting clicking here.